Texas Leads the Nation in Flu Cases This Year

It was reported earlier this week that flu cases spiked across Texas the week before Christmas, but from a national perspective, it's even more severe than we thought.

According to Spectrum News, data collected by Walgreens indicates that Texas leads the nation in flu cases this holiday season. In fact, Texas metro areas made up 8 of the top 10 regions for flu activity, according to Walgreens. (Their stats are based upon retail prescription sales for antiviral medication.)

Below is the list of top 10 states experiencing high flu activity:

Texas

Arkasnas

Tennessee

West Virginia

Nebraska

Iowa

Idaho

Missouri

Oklahoma

North Carolina

And here are the top 10 regions. As you can see, East and Upper Central Texas seem to be the hardest hit.

Tyler-Longview (Lufkin & Nacogdoches), Texas

Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen, Texas

Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas

Houston, Texas

Waco-Temple-Bryan, Texas

Corpus Christi, Texas

Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas

Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Ark.

San Antonio, Texas

Ft. Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.

According to CBS news, reported flu cases doubled this year, and that this year's flu vaccine was only about 10% effective.